This course will focus on the theory, design and operation of commercial nuclear power reactors. The course will also touch on contemporary issues regarding nuclear power generation including: the nuclear fuel cycle, the economics of nuclear power, and nuclear non-proliferation.

Biomass is the only renewable feedstock which contains the carbon atoms needed to make the molecules to create chemicals, materials and fuels. However, the majority of our current scientific and industrial knowledge on conversion is based on processing fossil feedstocks. In this course we explore the relevant fundamental knowledge on (bio)catalytic conversion in order to produce (new) biobased building blocks, chemicals and products.

The design of an effective (catalytic) process for the conversions of biobased feedstocks to desired products is the core of this course. Unique for bioconversion is the presence of the elements O,N, P, S and the large quantities of water.

how to use catalysts, either heterogeneous, homogeneous or biocatalysts function in order to optimize the process of conversion. We discuss how these catalysts can be tuned and their specific advantages and disadvantages for biobased conversions.

the influence of the reactor choice as an inevitable asset in the process. We discuss how to describe the productivity of catalytic processes depending on the choice of the reactor and how the choice of the reactor can add to the stability of the conversion process.

The knowledge you gain allows you to design processes specifically targeted on biomass based conversions as well offering an opportunity to interact with chemist, engineers and scientists who mainly focus on the traditional fossil based conversions.

In a biorefinery a complex biobased feedstock is separated and processed in such a way that sustainability and application opportunities are maximized. In this course we will focus on tools and techniques to efficiently disentangle, separate and convert different biomass based feedstocks into simpler (functional) components.

First we will discuss available techniques and processes for biomass activation/disentanglement and separation.

Next we explore how to design a biorefinery taking into account feedstock and sustainable energy use. Therefore we will dive into:

mass and energy balances;

design of biorefinery process units to obtain multiple products from one type of biomass;

how to recover energy and resources in the biorefinery system;

evaluation of the designed system with respect to sustainability and economic criteria;

evaluation of criteria for successful implementation (operational and investment costs).

5.33 focuses on advanced experimentation, with particular emphasis on chemical synthesis and the fundamentals of quantum chemistry, illustrated through molecular spectroscopy. The written and oral presentation of experimental results is also emphasized in the course.

Acknowledgements

The materials for 5.33 reflect the work of many faculty members associated with this course over the years.

WARNING NOTICE

The experiments described in these materials are potentially hazardous and require a high level of safety training, special facilities and equipment, and supervision by appropriate individuals. You bear the sole responsibility, liability, and risk for the implementation of such safety procedures and measures. MIT shall have no responsibility, liability, or risk for the content or implementation of any of the material presented.

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This course is designed to look at the topics covered in advanced high school chemistry courses, correlating to the standard topics as established by the American Chemical Society. Engaging instruction and supplemental video demonstrations are designed to help prepare students for college level chemistry.

This seminar will be a scientific exploration of the food we eat and enjoy. Each week we shall have a scientific edible experiment that will explore a specific food topic. This will be a hands-on seminar with mandatory attendance of at least 85%. Topics include, but are not limited to, what makes a good experiment, cheese making, joys of tofu, food biochemistry, the science of spice, what is taste?

This course is the second in a series of two courses in kitchen chemistry. The prerequisite to Advanced Kitchen Chemistry is ES.287 Kitchen Chemistry, which is also on OCW.

This course deals with the application of structure and theory to the study of organic reaction mechanisms: Stereochemical features including conformation and stereoelectronic effects; reaction dynamics, isotope effects and molecular orbital theory applied to pericyclic and photochemical reactions; and special reactive intermediates including carbenes, carbanions, and free radicals.

[IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE NO-CREDIT ON-DEMAND VERSION OF THIS COURSE PLEASE GO TO https://www.coursera.org/learn/symmetry].
Learn how to identify symmetrical forms and appreciate their importance in nature, art, architecture, crystallography and technology. Understand symmetry quantitatively, recognize its role in beauty and design, and appreciate its function in our everyday life. The level of difficulty is intermediate-to-hard with a workload is 7-10 hrs/week. This MOOC is for credit, and students who obtain a Verified Certificate by submitting and authenticating at least 8 out of the 9 assignments with an overall mark of more than 60%, earn 3 Academic Units (AU) that can be directed towards either an Unrestricted Elective (UE) or General Elective (GE-STS) subject at NTU. The usual NTU examination procedure requires student identification through webcam plus keystroke patterning for each assignment submission with a no-tolerance policy towards cheating (https://www.coursera.org/about/terms/honorcode and http://www.ntu.edu.sg/SAO/Pages/HonourCode.aspx). Students who are found to cheat, tamper with or falsify grades, or collude on assignments will be denied credits. It is not necessary to be enrolled at NTU to be awarded 3 AU and once received the AU remain valid 3 years. Because this is a for-credit course students must join the Signature Track stream within the first 2 week add-drop period (up to 22 January 2016, 2359 hrs) in accordance with NTU rules.

This course will start with the nuclear structure of atoms and discuss the creation of hydrogen in the big bang universe and the fusion of hydrogen to make heavier elements in stars. Three pillars of the big bang cosmology will be elaborated.

Ch. 1 “Atomic Nucleus” Rutherford’s 1908 Nobel Lecture will be used to discuss identification of the alpha particle as a possible building block of elements such as carbon and oxygen. The discovery of the proton as the ultimate building block of all nuclei will also be covered.

Ch. 2 “Origin of Elements” The modern view of the big bang synthesis of light elements and the stellar synthesis of heavy elements will be discussed. The 1978 Nobel Lecture by Penzias, titled “The Origin of Elements”, will be the primary source material.

Ch. 3 “Cosmic Background Radiation” How big bang cosmology was established by the discovery of the cosmic background radiation by Penzias and Wilson in 1965 will be discussed using Wilson’s 1978 Nobel Lecture.

Ch. 4 “Expansion of the Universe” How the foundation for big bang cosmology was laid out by the works of Leavitt, Slipher, and Hubble is the subject of this chapter. Hubble’s 1929 paper in PNAS about Hubble’s law will be the primary resource.

Explore how to create a sustainable future by moving away from dependence on fossil resources to biomass resources for the production of food, chemicals and energy-carriers.

We’ll focus on five topics in this course:

1. Introduction to Biobased Sciences

Learn about the products that can be derived from biomass and the processes used to do so, compared to current fossil based products and processes.

2. Biorefinery

Biorefinery deals with the challenge of extracting valuable biomass components and converting them to final products. To achieve this you first need knowledge of the different types of biomass, the molecules present and their chemical characteristics. Biorefinery is all about efficient processing. Aspects of processing include the harvesting, pre-treatments, conversion and separation technologies.

3. Consumer Behaviour

Understand the challenges of moving towards a biobased economy and gaining consumer acceptance. How do consumers evaluate products? And how is their perception influenced by communication strategies? Understanding the basics of consumer science will help you to implement a consumer view when developing a product.

4. Biomass production

A biobased economy runs on biomass. It is therefore important to understand which factors play a major role in crop growth, yield formation and quality. In this module you’ll learn to identify design criteria for the production of biobased crops on both a crop and farm level.

5. Achieving Sustainability

Delve into the true meaning of sustainability and how sustainability issues are linked to human activities. Biobased products are not always as sustainable as it seems on first glance. You’ll learn that an understanding of the degree of sustainability requires a thorough analysis of a variety of factors and constituents.

1. Bioconversion
Learn how to convert molecules through microbial processes. Find out how to choose the right host organism and how choices in process design influence cell growth, substrate conversion and product formation.

2. (Bio)Chemical conversion
Explore catalytic conversion of biomass by discussing types of catalysts, special challenges for catalysis when converting biomass and the interplay of catalysis and up/down stream processes.

3. Business
Learn the steps to transform a biobased product to a winning business case. We’ll discuss commercial, financial and organizational aspects and stakeholder management to realize biobased ambitions. You’ll also learn about the required dynamics in and timing of (innovation) activities for a sector transformation to a biobased economy.

4. Logistics and Supply Chains
Understand the biobased supply chain including network design and geographical allocation of processing steps answering the key questions where to produce, how to transport and where to process biobased products.

5. Economy and Regulations
Learn the economic basis for government regulations and implications for the biobased economy and in particular the responses by the private sector. This includes the economic foundations for government regulations from different perspectives, the implications for an economic assessment of regulatory policies and a look at the regulatory policies in the United States and the European Union.

In this capstone project, you will focus on designing a sustainable Biobased process. The emphasis of the project is on conversion. You will design a process from biomass to a finished product and discuss your choices for a catalyst, reactor type, organism and feedstock. You should be able to discuss your choices in the broad picture of sustainability while emphasising the conversion aspects of the process.

The final product in this capstone project is a written report.

Complete your MicroMasters credential by signing up for a virtually proctored exam. This 2 hour, multiple choice exam will test your knowledge on all topics discussed in the 5 MicroMasters courses.

The course, which spans two thirds of a semester, provides students with a research-inspired laboratory experience that introduces standard biochemical techniques in the context of investigating a current and exciting research topic, acquired resistance to the cancer drug Gleevec. Techniques include protein expression, purification, and gel analysis, PCR, site-directed mutagenesis, kinase activity assays, and protein structure viewing.

This class is part of the new laboratory curriculum in the MIT Department of Chemistry. Undergraduate Research-Inspired Experimental Chemistry Alternatives (URIECA) introduces students to cutting edge research topics in a modular format.

Acknowledgments

Development of this course was funded through an HHMI Professors grant to Professor Catherine L. Drennan.

This course deals with a more advanced treatment of the biochemical mechanisms that underlie biological processes. Emphasis will be given to the experimental methods used to unravel how these processes fit into the cellular context as well as the coordinated regulation of these processes. Topics include macromolecular machines for energy and force transduction, regulation of biosynthetic and degradative pathways, and the structure and function of nucleic acids.

Every day, we see concrete used all around us – to build our houses, offices, schools, bridges, and infrastructure. But few people actually understand what gives concrete its strength, resistance, and utility.

The aim of this course is to offer basic cement chemistry to practitioners, as well as new students in the fields of chemistry and engineering.

You will learn how cement is made and hydrated, as well as the environmental and economical benefits it offers. You’ll learn to test your samples in isocalorimetry in order to track the hydration and to prepare and observe samples by scanning electron microscopy. In the last two weeks of the course, you will also learn how X-ray diffraction works and how to apply it to cements.

Because the course is designed for beginning students, it’s not necessary to have a cement background, however basic concepts in chemistry and crystallography will help. This course lasts 6 weeks, during which you can take theoretical courses and tutorials to test the cement in the laboratory.

Physics 101 is the first course in the Introduction to Physics sequence. In general, the quest of physics is to develop descriptions of the natural world that correspond closely to actual observations. Given this definition, the story behind everything in the universe is one of physics. In practice, the field of physics is more often limited to the discovery and refinement of the basic laws that underlie the behavior of matter and energy. While biology is founded upon physics, in practice, the study of biology generally assumes that the present understanding of physical laws is accurate. Chemistry is more closely dependent on physics and assumes that physical laws provide accurate predictions. Engineering, for the most part, is applied physics. In this course, we will study physics from the ground up, learning the basic principles of physical laws, their application to the behavior of objects, and the use of the scientific method in driving advances in this knowledge. This first course o…

The physics of the Universe appears to be dominated by the effects of four fundamental forces: gravity, electromagnetism, and weak and strong nuclear forces. These control how matter, energy, space, and time interact to produce our physical world. All other forces, such as the force you exert in standing up, are ultimately derived from these fundamental forces. We have direct daily experience with two of these forces: gravity and electromagnetism. Consider, for example, the everyday sight of a person sitting on a chair. The force holding the person on the chair is gravitational, while that gravitational force is balanced by material forces that “push up” to keep the individual in place, and these forces are the direct result of electromagnetic forces on the nanoscale. On a larger stage, gravity holds the celestial bodies in their orbits, while we see the Universe by the electromagnetic radiation (light, for example) with which it is filled. The electromagnetic force also makes possible the a…